Work Text:
District Courthouse
Courtroom 3
9:53 AM
Miles Edgeworth sighed as he looked over his case file for what felt like the hundredth time. The trial was in its second day and it was already one of the more irritating trials he’s had the displeasure of prosecuting.
The case should have been a fairly simple one. The owner of a hair salon, Victor Trim, was murdered by a pair of scissors jammed into his neck. The scissors had the fingerprints of one of the employees, Holden Trust. Apparently, there was a disagreement of Trust’s payroll between him and his employer. Rather open and shut.
But of course, if Phoenix Wright was defending, complications were sure to appear. Finding the truth with Wright was fine. Miles could do that any day. But the witnesses!
They already wasted the first trial day questioning the victim's wife. She was a bitter, middle-aged woman, who honestly didn’t seem that choked up over her husband of 20 years being killed. During the cross-examination, it was discovered that she didn’t even witness the crime! She was trying to get back at Trust for refusing to sleep with her! At least the insurance money Mrs. Trim was so excited about should be just enough to pay for her upcoming perjury charges.
Honestly, why is everyone on this planet so desperate for sex! Miles thought when a warm pair of mismatching blue and brown eyes suddenly appeared in his mind. Not that I don’t get the appeal, but really!
He will admit to himself, he certainly had... feelings for Phoenix. However, he would never hold it over him for not returning said feelings. Not that he had the courage to tell them to him otherwise.
Now today, they had to examine the second witness, a timid girl, and coworker to the defendant called Uma Keys. She had to be one of the most nervous people Miles had ever met. She could barely get a word out without her overbearing boyfriend being in the general area. That in itself is suspicious, and no doubt Wright has an idea or two based on that.
Miles heard the defense lobby doors open, and he couldn't help but smirk a little.
Speak of the devil.
Barely on time as usual.
Miles couldn’t help sneaking a glance at the attorney. And then immediately did a double-take in shock.
Wright had a black eye that was so swollen it almost closed shut, a split lip, and what looked like sores on his knuckles. He also seemed to be moving slower than usual, as if it pained him to do so.
“Good God, Wright! What the hell happened to you?!”
Wright grimaced at his outcry and looked across to him. “I… got mugged last night.” He admitted.
“What?!”
“I’m fine! It’s mostly bruising and the police told me they caught the guy. I’m supposed to go down to the precinct later to identify him.”
Well, that was one case Miles was definitely interested in prosecuting.
Before he could say anything else to Wright, the judge banged his gavel.
“Court will now reconvene for the trial of Mr. Holden Trust.”
“The defense is ready, your honor.”
“...The prosecution is also ready, your honor.”
The judge seemed to just notice Wright’s condition. “My goodness! Are you alright Mr. Wright?”
“I’m okay, your honor,” Wright assured, seeming slightly annoyed. “It was just a minor incident. I’m well enough to continue this trial.”
“Very well then. The prosecution may call their next witness.”
Miles sighed a little but did as the judge requested and called Uma Keys to the stand.
The meek young lady announced her name and profession to the court and began her testimony. She recounted the crime, while stuttering throughout, but matching the facts and evidence the police were able to find.
When she was finished, the Judge nodded. “Very well. The defense may begin its-”
“Phoenix Whatever-Your-Middle-Name-Is Wright!” a familiar voice interrupted with the sounds of the court door being slammed open. Miles turned to see a very angry Maya Fey, holding a greasy bag, stalking her way toward Wright.
Wright winced then gave a shit-eating grin. “Hey, Maya…”
“Don’t you ‘Hey, Maya’ me you dirty sneak!” She huffed at him. “You told me you got a replacement defense for Holden!”
“Technically, I said that he had an attorney for the trial! I didn’t specify the attorney as a replacement!”
“Excuse me,” Miles interrupted. “But what does Miss Fey exactly mean by ‘a replacement defense?’”
Wright was about to answer, but Maya beat him to the punch. “This idiot is supposed to be on strict bed rest for the rest of the week! But what does he do? He sends me out on burger-run, and then sneaks out like a teenager!”
“To be fair!” Wright interjected. “You should have been suspicious by the fact that I was the one to suggest burgers at 9 am .”
“You know perfectly well that I can’t distrust burgers, Nick!”
The sound of a gavel banged and everyone froze to look at the judge.
“May I remind everyone here that we are in the middle of a murder trial? Now is the defense well enough to continue?”
“Yes,” Though Wright winched and put a hand to his side. “I am”
“Are you certain of that Wright?” Miles asked. If the man was supposed to be resting, should he really be standing in court? Just what was the extent of his injuries?
“I’m fine! Now, will everyone please let me do my job and cross-examine the witness?”
Maya glared daggers at him but seemed to concede to the fact that there was no reasoning with the defense attorney. “Fine. But I’m not sharing any burgers with you!”
“How will I ever live with myself?” Wright said rolling his eyes.
And so, the trial continued.
“Tell me Miss Keys,” Wright began to question. “Where are your scissors?
“W-w-what do you m-mean?” She stammered out.
“I mean Victor’s scissors were found in his work station, and the defendant’s was found in Victor’s neck,”
How tactful of you, Wright.
“But yours seem to be missing from the scene.”
Uma started to sweat. “Uh… he… he must have used my scissors to kill Mr. Trim?”
“OBJEC- ACK!” Wright suddenly winced, clutching his side.
“Nick?” Maya dropped her agonistic attitude and replaced it with worry.
“It’s fine.” Wright murmured through clenched teeth.
After a moment of labored breathing, he managed to bark out a proper objection.
“That still doesn’t explain why only two pairs of scissors were found. There were three stylists are working at the salon. So naturally, there should be three complete sets of tools!”
While Miles is normally elevated at seeing Wright break down a lying witness, at the moment he wishes he would ease up. If anything than the man is starting to look… pale.
Miles didn’t need to ponder his condition for much longer. Before Wright could continue his line of questioning, he let out a cry pain and hunched over the defense bench, his left arm supporting him while the right wrapped itself around his abdomen.
“Nick? Did you rip your stitches?!” Maya cried in alarm.
At the sound of ‘stitches,’ Miles found himself moving to the other side of the court.
“It’s just a cramp, I’m alright!” Phoenix desperately muttered. His limbs finally gave out and Phoenix collapsed to knees on the floor. Miles arrived at his side moments later.
“Miss Fey, what was that you said about stitches?” Miles asked her, knowing Phoenix will continue to stubbornly brush it off.
“Last night, we were walking home from investigating when this guy jumped us and yelled at us for our money. Nick punched the guy and told me to run. I did and called the police, but the mugger somehow got Nick and…”
“Maya, it’s-” Phoenix began but was quickly silenced by Miles telling him to shut up.
“I don’t know exactly what happened but… Nick got stabbed!”
“What?!”
“It wasn’t that deep!” Phoenix insisted, but Miles could now begin to see the blood seeping through his blue jacket.
Miles took charge. “Your honor! We need an immediate recess. Maya, stay here and keep an eye on Wright’s notes. I’m taking him to the hospital.”
“Objection!” Phoenix said through clenched teeth. “I have the witness on the ropes. I just need five more minutes!” Another wave of pain hit him and he shut his good eye in agony.
Miles glared at him. “Objection overruled.” He then swiftly, but gently wrapped Phoenix’s arm around his shoulder and carefully stood him up.
“But I only need-”
“For God’s sake Wright! Forget about your bleeding heart for two seconds and focus on your bleeding body!”
With that, Miles walked Phoenix to the exit.
The atmosphere in Miles’ car was tense, to say the least. He was currently staring straight at the road being the wheel while Wright sat in the passenger's seat with a handkerchief pressed against his wound. Miles’ heartbeat seemed to insist on being in sync with the injured man’s heavy breathing.
But even in obvious pain, Wright was insisting they return to the courthouse. “We can go to the hospital later! I’m so close to getting to the bottom of this!”
“Wright, stop talking and focus on not getting blood on my upholstery.”
“But I need to get Holden his acquittal!”
“Wright.”
“Seriously, just one more piece of evidence and-”
“Phoenix, please!”
The sound of his given name coming out of Miles’ mouth stunned the other man into silence.
Miles took a deep breath and spoke. “Wright, you are a naturally selfless person. And while I do... “ Admire. Cherise. Adore. Love. “Respect that trait of yours, it frequently gets you into more trouble than the situation calls for.”
“Edgeworth…”
“If it’s not a stab wound, it’s risking your life to cross a burning bridge. If not that, it’s putting yourself in peril by confronting hostile individuals. What good is your kindness to others if it ends up wrecking your body or worse?”
Miles risked a glance at the injured man. He was staring intensely at him despite having only one functioning eye.
“You do make a great impact with that soft heart of yours, but you must remember to take care of it. If not for your own sake, then for the sake of those who care about you.”
A long moment of silence passed before Phoenix replied. “...I’m sorry for making you worried.”
Of course, he’d only understand the gravity of his situation by mentioning other’s concerns. The sentimental fool. Even in his head, Miles couldn’t escape the fondness in its tone.
“Just get yourself patched up again and all will be forgiven.” He said as they finally drove up to the hospital.
Miles quickly helped Wright check in at the emergency room and turned around to return to his car for the trial. On the drive back, Miles used the time to think of how they should proceed.
He’ll probably request for the trial to be suspended until tomorrow to find an actual replacement attorney for Holden Trust. After all, he is still entitled to representation. Perhaps Raymond would be available and willing to take over…?
He was planning on texting Raymond as he reentered the courtroom when his ears were assaulted by an abrupt “HOLY COW MR. EDGEWORTH!!! YOU JUST MISSED THE SHOW!”
Initially, Miles was annoyed by Gumshoe’s blaring voice but was quickly replaced with concern at his choice words.
“You mean the Judge reached his verdict while we were gone?!”
No way that could be allowed! Not only was the defendant without defense, but the prosecutor wasn’t even present!
“Oh! No, not yet sir!” Gumshoe corrected himself. “But after that shitshow, it’ll just be a formality at this point!”
Miles rolled his eyes. “Explain, quickly detective.”
“After you and Mr. Wright left for the hospital, that Uma Keys girl broke down and confessed everything to the judge!”
The prosecutor blinked and recoiled from the shock. “What?!”
“Yeah, turned out she killed the salon owner by accident! It was her boyfriend, Poe Cess, arguing to her boss about her work hours and started getting physical with him. Miss Keys was trying to defuse the situation and it somehow ended up with her tripping and jamming her scissors in the poor guy’s neck. Mr. Cess convinced her to dump the weapon in the dumpster while he altered the scene to frame Mr. Trust.”
That was probably Wright’s final piece of evidence. “But why would she confess after all that? Especially since she seemed so unwilling to before. You’d think with the defense gone, she would’ve been more likely to walk away free.”
Gumshoe frowned. “Turns out that was the hair that broke her camel’s back. Remember that mugger who hurt Mr. Wright?”
Miles felt his blood turn cold but managed to put on a stoic face and nodded. “Yes.”
“It seems the mugger was a pal of Cess’. He paid him off to try to keep Wright from defending today. Seeing someone else caught in the crossfire, guilt became too much for Uma and she sang like a canary.”
“And I’m guessing this ‘shit-show’ as you so gracefully put it, came from Mr. Cess’s reaction?”
“Boy did it ever!” Gumshoe boomed. “He started yelling at her to shut her trap and was practically frothing at the mouth! Took me and two other bailiffs to restrain him!”
Miles sighed at that mental image. Criminals like that are truly pathetic beings.
“Well, at least the truth is out in the open now. Let’s return inside so that we may formally wrap this all up.”
“And so, Holden Trust was found not guilty.” Miles finished explaining to Wright.
Wright stared at him with confused astonishment from his hospital bed. Since his clothes were… stained, Ms. Fey volunteered to return to his apartment for a spare shirt.
“Wow.” He smirked. “If me going to the hospital gets witnesses to cave like that, maybe I should get stabbed more often.”
Miles glared at him and Wright gave a sheepish look. “Understood. Too soon.”
More like ‘almost too late.’ The prosecutor silently thought to himself.
The wound was indeed rather shallow, just as Wright claimed, and located in a non-lethal area. However, it was a wide cut, and in a place, any movement can cause at the very least irritation. It’s a wonder it didn’t reopen sooner with the man galavanting around.
But just a few more inches in another direction and Phoenix could have…
Miles quickly shook that thought away from his consciousness.
“Distasteful jokes aside, what we really should be focussing on now is your recovery. Obviously, you’ll be staying in your bed for the rest of the week, as advised, only leaving when necessary. We’ll have to cook and bring your meals, probably will have to assist you in walking to the bathroom. Afterward-”
“Wait, wait” Wright interrupted. “What was that about ‘we?’”
“Miss Fey and I, of course. We’ll be taking turns assisting you during your recuperation.”
“Edgeworth, I appreciate that thought; but I’m a grown man. I can help myself.”
“An injured man Wright,” Miles emphasized. “Grown or not, you’ll need help doing even menial tasks for a while and we can’t expect Miss Fey to do it twenty-four-seven.”
“Yeah, but I’m still able to handle myself for a few hours. You don’t have to sacrifice your time to babysit me.”
Perhaps it was Miles’ imagination, but he could swear that there was a faint blush upon Wright’s face as he said that.
“Regardless, I’m afraid you’ve lost some of Miss Fey’s trust in that ability, and she wouldn’t be at ease knowing you were by yourself.”
Wright let out a sad sigh. “Yeah, I guess I did stress her out a bit there. But did Maya seriously ask you to help out like this?”
Miles have a smirk. “Actually, her original plan was to literally tie you down with rope while she would be away. I volunteered because I figured you’d like to avoid that outcome.”
The defense attorneys face paled some. “Uhh, good call. Thanks.”
Miles chuckled and continued with the gameplan for his recovery process. There would doubtless rough spots, especially with that man’s restless nature. Though honestly… Miles can’t say he isn’t looking forward to helping Phoenix smooth them out.
Perhaps Miles had his own bleeding heart.